Edge of the World
by Dixie Dewdrop
Summary: What does a little boy do when his hero daddy is nowhere to be found? This is part of my Fate series.
1. Brink of Disaster

Brink of Disaster

Three year old Tony padded purposefully through the kitchen in search of his father. Dressed in his Eeyore pajamas and with his hair still damp from bathing he knew his own bedtime approached.

Therein lay his problem.

He could see plainly that the outside light had given way to streaks of dark already, yet he could not locate his daddy.

What would he do if his dad failed to read him his bedtime story, listen to his prayers, or kiss him goodnight?

Dramatically Tony muttered to himself as he peeked into the pantry. "You know better, too, Daddy. You should come take care of me right now."

A reflection of foil caught the sliver of light from the kitchen's overhead and Tony paused, his curiosity aroused. He yanked open the pantry door the entire way to determine the source of the sparkling reflection. A package of chocolate chip cookies with a shimmery silver stripe down the seam lay visible above him on the second shelf.

The precocious toddler turned around excitedly and retraced his steps, formulating a battle plan as he moved.

He nearly skidded into the dishwasher in his haste, but caught himself by grabbing the edge of the counter.

An incredibly striking child with soft brown hair generously streaked with blond and long lashed green eyes, the boy turned heads wherever he went. Though tiny for his age, Tony loved any physical activity or chance to play outdoors, and no one contradicted the fact that he was all boy. He lived for action and in fact, had already proven himself as quite a daredevil.

He possessed both a strong will and incredible determination, evidenced as he grabbed his booster seat from his chair at the family's kitchen table. Setting it on the floor with a clatter, he grasped the back, started running, and pushed it ahead of him like a race car into the pantry's depths. He narrated the journey with the appropriate automobile sounds, having already developed an ear for the way engines purred or screeched on roadways.

Once parked in the pantry he commandeered the seat to climb within the reach of the cookies.

He carefully extracted two chocolate treats from the package before he shoved the plastic tray and remainder back in the wrapper, then returned the package to its former place on the shelf. Greedily he began eating one while he dragged his booster chair back to where it belonged at the table.

However, he encountered a problem upon his return. Appraising the distance he would have to lift the booster overhead to place it correctly in the chair, he simply left it beside his seat and resumed his mission.

"I will find Daddy right now," he announced aloud, and clutching his cookie, he toddled to the top of the basement stairs. Sometimes his father used wood and tools to build things down there in his workspace. He had made Tony a bookcase to keep in his room, for example, and just recently had designed a coat rack for the foyer.

Tony stooped down and peered through the wooden railing into the open area. He would get into big, big trouble if he went down the steps and into the basement without an adult present and an adult's explicit permission. Daddy and Abuela warned him often that tools and projects required serious safety precautions in the basement, and that he could get hurt if he disobeyed.

Sometimes if he got hurt Ducky would come examine him and make it better. Ducky was a doctor and he knew how to make yucky medicine taste good.

Frowning, the preschooler surveyed the area below him. He saw no sign whatsoever of his father. Standing, he gripped the rail and actually contemplated sneaking a trip down the steps while no one could see him. As he stuck his foot out for the next step, though, reasoning prevailed and he yanked it back. Getting his bottom smacked for disobeying would upset the remainder of his night, plus make his rear end hurt.

Wisely turning around and dismissing the urge to disobey, he took a wide bite out of his second cookie and licked his lips gratefully at the chocolate delight. It tasted so good and he loved it so much! He had begged Abuela, his grandmamma, to buy those treats for him, and it had taken hard work on his part their last trip to the grocery store.

She rarely allowed him to have sugar in any form, so even though she bought them, she allotted the cookies to him just once in a while.

Still, he had won the major battle when she actually purchased them.

Tony grinned to himself recalling the cashier packing the treats into the grocery bag that day.

A stab of guilt overwhelmed him and he held the cookie at arm's distance to regard it. Would his abuela realize he had eaten not one, but two cookies when she returned? When she came back to the house could she figure out that he had made his way into the pantry and helped himself to two of the delicacies?

Every time he did something bad or thought of doing something naughty, somehow she knew. Even when she was not in the room she could tell if he had disobeyed.

He squared his tiny shoulders and made a calculated decision. He might just as well finish eating the cookie, because then she would find no evidence of his crime.

That would stack the odds of circumventing potential trouble in his favor.

With the chocolate chip dilemma solved satisfactorily he wound his way to the living room. Climbing onto the sofa he marched over all three cushions before he stood still on the middle pillow and surveyed the living space top to bottom.

No- no Jethro Gibbs returned his gaze.

The little boy frowned and puffed his bottom lip into a practiced pout. "It is not good manners for Daddy to not be anywhere for me to see him," he observed in his most victimized tone. "This is not nice and I am not happy about it."


	2. Secure Perimeter

Secure Perimeter

Climbing over the back of the sofa he jumped the rest of the way to the floor, wincing a bit at the hard landing. He recovered quickly, though, and fell onto all fours in imitation of a cat. "Meowyowyowy," he purred loudly, slinking his body fluidly to the steps. Once there he abruptly changed animals, barking his way up the stairs as he pretended to have transformed into a puppy.

He returned to human form at the top when he reached the landing.

Grabbing the bathroom knob he yanked himself to his feet, then spent almost a minute swinging from the bathroom door. He laughed excitedly. That popular pasttime always tickled him, but would land him in an instant time-out if he got caught. The grown ups insisted that swinging from doors would damage the hinges.

A search of the bedrooms and bath areas did not produce his father, but Tony got momentarily sidetracked in his own room as he transferred several of his stuffed toys to his bed. Tucking them beneath the covers he put a finger to his lips and warned, "Stay quiet, now, so you will surprise Daddy when he comes in here for night night."

Satisfied with their placement he slipped out of the room and slid down the stairs on his tummy. Landing on the foyer floor he lay there several seconds and rested his chin on his folded arms. He had looked absolutely everywhere and still could not find his father!

Mentally reviewing the path he had already travelled he realized he had skipped searching the laundry room.

Hurrying to his feet he ran across the floor with renewed determination. The laundry room light shone brightly when he got there. Besides that, the heavy door that led to the backyard stood ajar. With this new perspective, Tony ran to open it wider and peep outside.

Sure enough, he spied movement in the dusky shadows. His hard work had at last been rewarded.

However, an obstacle loomed to hinder him from completing his quest.

Not brave enough to tackle the outdoors in the dark without protection he stood inside the doorway and called, "Daddy, are you there outside in the dark?"

A soft voice answered him from the middle of the fenced enclosure and Tony relaxed.

All was well.

At last he had found his father!

"Come here right now and get me," he directed, then remembering the magic words, added, "please come get me."

He held his arms up in anticipation of settling securely in his dad's embrace. He knew his father would protect him from anything lurking in the dark.

Seconds later strong hands grabbed him around the waist and swooped him into the air. Laughing with delight, Tony threw out his arms like wings so that he could soar through the sky in his father's hold. Jethro flew him around the swingset, over bushes, and above other lawn furniture before he collapsed with him into the chaise lounge.

It took a few seconds for the toddler to catch his breath from his bubbling laughter. Spinning himself over Tony positioned himself on top of Jethro, tiny legs on top of his dad's, and little head against his father's chest. Jethro wrapped one arm around Tony's waist to secure him, then used the other hand to brush back his son's bangs. Kissing the top of his head Gibbs questioned softly, "Did you forget that I told you I would be out here cleaning the grill?"

Leaning his head back, Tony regarded him from an upside down vantage point. "I forgot about that, Daddy."

"I see." Jethro reached over and wiped at the side of Tony's mouth. "What do you have on your mouth, Tony? Is that some chocolate?"

The little criminal straddled the truth but answered honestly, "I do not know what it is on my mouth you see, Daddy."

Jethro could not hide a smile at the response. He had a pretty good idea that Tony had taken advantage of his temporary absence to help himself to some forbidden treats.

Tony picked up Jethro's hand and placed his own small palm and fingers against it. "When I get big like you, Daddy, I will come out in the dark all by myself."

"Yes, you will," his father agreed, rubbing his hand on Tony's tummy. "You will come look at the moon and the stars and not be afraid because you will realize that they come out every single day for you."

"I see them now," Tony assured him, waving a small fist towards the brilliant constellations.

"You do? What do you see up there, Tony?"

The little boy pointed his forefinger to the left. "Over there I see a popsicle."

"By that star?" Gibbs clarified. "You see a popsicle by that star over there?"

"Look by the moon, Daddy." Tony used both hands to direct his father's gaze. "See beside the moon is a great big star crown."

Jethro turned Tony's head towards the right and pointed. "Look up at all those stars blinking and twinkling up there. They are thousands of miles away but we still get to see them and enjoy them. That makes me feel good."

"I like them," Tony responded, "because they hold the edge of the world."

"The what?" Jethro asked, trying to pinpoint his little boy's line of reasoning.

An impatient sigh escaped the child. "The edge of the world, Daddy, I mean the edge of the world 'cause we can not see the other side."

"But we know the other side is there even if we can not see it," Gibbs explained.

"I know that," Tony responded irritably, certain that his father underestimated his maturity. "I am a big boy now and I already know things."

"Ok, I realize you have grown considerably today," Jethro responded to the child in a sincere tone.

Tony scratched his elbow and wrinkled his nose. "They still hold the edge of the world because that is their job."

"Really? They look out for the rest of the sky as their job?"

"Yes, like your job is to take care of me," Tony tilted his head back again and grinned. "Understand, Daddy?"

Gibbs smiled, "I do understand, Son. I hold the edge of the world for you and I protect you because you are my boy."

"I know," Tony confirmed, turning himself over so that he could face his father. Scooting up Jethro's torso he planted a kiss on his daddy's cheek. "I know, 'cause you love me and I love you."


End file.
